1. Related Technical Fields
Related technical fields include route search methods, route guidance systems, navigation systems, and statistical processing servers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the development of Intelligent Transportation Systems has been promoted in an attempt to achieve smoother automobile driving. One field in which development has been promoted is advanced navigation systems. An example is a navigation system equipped with Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS®) functions. Such navigation systems receive information from beacons and FM multiplex broadcasts about current traffic congestion conditions and execute route guidance to avoid congested locations.
Also, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2004-301677, a navigation system is described in which a map of the entire country is divided into and stored in grid or “mesh” regions, statistical information is stored for each mesh region, and the statistical information is used in searching for a recommended route. The statistical information is statistically processed traffic information on individual factors such as time periods, weekdays, holidays, and the like for each mesh region and is made up of travel times, travel speeds, and the like for individual links. The navigation system also predicts a standard arrival time in each mesh region based on a departure point. The navigation system then selects from among statistical information that was stored in advance the statistical information for the time period in which the arrival time falls and uses that statistical information to search for a route that will shorten the travel time.